Harris County Archives Houston, Texas Finding Aid HARRIS COUNTY ATTORNEY RECORDS DURWOOD GREENE CASE FILES CR044 (1978-1990, Bulk 1982-1987) Size: 3 cubic feet Restrictions on Access: None Restrictions on Use: None Acquisition: County Attorney Office Accession Number: 2011.016 Processed by: Laura Mills, 2014 Citation: [Identification of Item], Durwood Greene Case Files, Harris County Attorney Records, Harris County Archives, Houston, Texas. Case Summary: Durwood Greene Construction Company and G & S Asphalt were awarded asphalt supply and road construction service contracts by the Harris County Commissioners Court in 1982. By complying to overpayments, shorting deliveries, fabricating delivery, truck, and truck driver tickets, and using sub-standard materials, Durwood Greene Construction Company and G & S Asphalt cost county taxpayers over 10 million dollars in damages. The company also used the county s materials to build a mile long road for Commissioner Robert Bob Y. Eckels on his private ranch. In 1986, Attorney Mike Driscoll pressed charges against the companies for deceptive trade policies. Durwood Greene and G & S Asphalt reached an out of court settlement with the County Attorney and Attorney General. The defendants paid a million dollar penalty and plead guilty for making an unlawful gift to Commissioner Eckels. Eckels plead guilty to accepting this gift, received probation, and resigned from office. After the settlement, Harris County reorganized the road construction bidding process, established quality control audits and created the Public Infrastructure Department to create broader authority over county construction projects. Scope and Contents Note: Bids and construction specifications, legal documents, correspondence, and photographs (1982-1987) document the deceptive trade policies of Durwood Greene construction and G & S Asphalt, and the ensuing litigation. The bids and construction specifications chronicle the work done by Durwood Greene and G &S from 1982 to 1987. These also contain estimates and managerial documents for Medberry Richey Road and the Hardy Page 1 of 6
Toll Road construction projects. Legal documents consist of case files for Durwood Greene and G & S Asphalt, witness interviews, and criminal indictments from 1984-1986. Correspondence and notes refer to the investigation and trial of Durwood Greene, as well as the inspection of construction sites. Photographs (1986-1987) record the Durwood Green asphalt trucks and the Medburry Richey Road construction site. Archivist s Note: Also see Terrence O Rourke Papers (MC48), which includes VHS tapes pertaining to Durwood Greene case. This collection has been minimally processed, maintaining original order and titles of the folders and only separating photographs. Be sure to read the entire inventory. Page 2 of 6
Inventory Title Date Location Harris County Pollution Control Documents 1987, 03-1990, 10 1876-X-01 M & C Consolidates Inc. and Durwood Greene Construction Company Public Integrity Files: Hearings/Statements Media Reports 1987, 07-1987, 11 1876-X-02 1988, 04 1876-X-03 Public Integrity Files: RY Eckels 1982, 07-1985,09 1876-X-04 Public Integrity Files: Durwood Greene and G & S Asphalt 1986, 06-1987, 04 1876-X-05 G & S Asphalt 1986, 06/17 1876-X-06 Private Investigator s Insurance and Licsense Records 1976, 02-1987, 04 1876-X-07 David Brown 1985, 01-1986, 07 1876-X-08 Richey Road Medberry Photographs 1987, 05-1987, 06 1876-X-09 County Engineer Organization Chart and Inspectors 1983, 04-1986, 06 1876-X-10 List of County Inspectors/Engineer s Office Policy Manual Medberry Richey Temp File. Job Completed 7-24- 86 [Bids/Construction Specifications] Unlabeled Accordion File 1984, 04-1986, 09 1876-X-11 1985, 07-1987, 07 1876-X-12 1982, 05-1987, 01 1877-X-01 Pct. 3 Phone Records 1985, 01-1986, 12 1877-X-02 [Construction Bid Documents] Found loose in box 1985, 01-1986, 05 1877-X-03 Notes n.d. 1877-X-04 Durwood Greene Construction Company 1984, 05-1985, 05 1877-X-05 Page 3 of 6
Title Date Location Articles of Incorporation G & S/Durwood Greene Construction 1978, 01/13 1877-X-06 Unlabeled Accordion File 1984, 03-1988, 04 1877-X-07 Memos 1986, 05-1986, 08 1877-X-08 Katy Ford, Inc. (Computer Lease) 1983, 11/15 1877-X-09 Comments Re: Executive Override 1986, 10 1877-X-10 Note on Gravel to RYE Ranch n.d. 1877-X-11 Authority of Commissioners to Act Outside of Commissioner s Court Approval 1986, 04 1877-X-12 City Ordinances (Ryan) 1986, 05/22 1877-X-13 Unauthorized Credit Checks n.d. 1877-X-14 Allied Tech 1986, 06-1986, 08 1877-X-15 Whistle Blowers 1986, 06 1877-X-16 Notice to Employees & Demand Letter 1986, 06 1877-X-17 List of Persons Receiving Whistle Blower Notice n.d. 1877-X-18 Distribution List n.d. 1877-X-19 Visitorial Letter 1986, 07/22 1877-X-20 Notes on Status and Strategy Meetings 1986, 10 1877-X-21 Kownslar s Timesheets 1986, 04-1986, 11 1877-X-22 Houston Chronicle Request Letter 1986, 07-1986, 09 1877-X-23 Personnel Telephone Numbers and Adresses Durwood Greeene Construction Company and G&S Visitorial Letter 1986, 09/04 1877-X-24 Lyman Personnel 1986, 07-1986, 09 1877-X-25 Commissioner s Order Durwood Greene 1986, 06-1986, 09 1877-X-26 Contstruction Company and G&S Re: Expenses of Litigation G & S Asphalt 1985, 10-1985, 11 1877-X-27 Page 4 of 6
Title Date Location Appendices to Original Petition 1985, 10-1986, 07 1877-X-28 Unlabeled Accordion Folder 1986, 05-1986, 07 1877-X-29 Interdepartmental Communications 1985, 04-1985, 07 1878-X-01 Weight Limits of A.G s Petition 1986 1878-X-02 CSB Notes- Durwood Greene 1984, 09-1986, 07 1878-X-03 Harris County v. G & S Asphalt, Durwood Greene (Deceptive Trade Practices) Sample Bid and Contract 1986, 11-1987, 07 1878-X-04 Pictures Durwood Greene TR s 10/28/86 1986 10-1986, 11 1878-X-05 Eckels Correspondence 1983, 03-1987, 01 1878-X-06 Visitorial Letter TX AG 1986, 06-1986, 07 1878-X-07 DA Criminal File Stubbs/Skyhawk 1982, 10-1985, 03 1878-X-08 TX Attorney General 1985, 02-1987, 05 1878-X-09 Lymans Employees and Microfilm Info 1986, 06-1987, 04 1878-X-10 Offset Durwood Greene/ G & S Claims 1986, 09-1986, 10 1878-X-11 Eckels Removal- Timbers 1986, 02-1987, 02 1878-X-12 Miller, David 1986, 05/05 1878-X-13 G & S Case File 1986, 04-1986, 10 1878-X-14 Correspondence 1983, 07-1987, 05 1878-X-15 Witness Interviews: Allbritton, Hart, King, Middleton, Spinks, Stokes, and Gray 1986, 08/28 1878-X-16 Vera s Club 1986, 06/09 1878-X-17 Conflict of Interest Stats and Opinions 1982, 08-1986, 04 1878-X-18 Eckels- Notes on Privelege: Attorney Client Priv. 1986, 04/03 1878-X-19 Jessie C. Smith 1985, 09/16 1878-X-20 6% Factor n.d. 1878-X-21 Estimates Partial FIle 1986, 01-1987, 05 1878-X-22 Page 5 of 6
Title Date Location Test Reports 1986, 04-1986, 07 1878-X-23 Change in Contract 1986, 02-1986, 12 1878-X-24 Hardy Toll Road Construction Management 1986, 11/07 1878-X-25 Criminal Indictments Durwood Greene Construction Company and G & S 1984, 06-1986, 04 1878-X-26 Eckels Lawsuit: Farrow Calendar 1985, 10-1985, 12 1878-X-27 Eckels Removal- Trailer 1985, 03-1986, 03 1878-X-28 Page 6 of 6